


A Compromising Situation

by rexlover180



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: @ao3 make your tags gayer so I can put polyamory, F/M, I was inspired by a visit to the zoo, M/M, Shedding, arum knows nothing about climates because he never leaves his swamp, cute bouquet fic because that's the cutest ship name I've ever heard, damien knowns nothing of lizard anatomy, everyone's a mess but rilla, i'm not a scalie but i'm also not a coward, literally arum is just shedding that's it, molting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 04:52:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14181120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexlover180/pseuds/rexlover180
Summary: In which Lord Arum starts shedding his scales, Damien has no idea lizards did that, and Rilla is the only one that actually knows what's going on. In theory it's a cute fic, but it does involve literally molting scales so take what you will.





	A Compromising Situation

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, this might have been inspired by a trip to the zoo when apparently all the reptiles were shedding. That time of year I guess. My partner and I immediately thought of Arum because you gotta. And then I did like some base level research, I might have disassociated to an hour's worth of lizard shedding videos on YouTube because some are very satisfying (snake ones especially) and here we are.  
> Hopefully it's at least somewhat realistic (lizard owners please don't kill me) and yes, I firmly believe that because Arum does not leave his swamp, he has no idea how molting works in drier climates. He just naturally assumed that's how it works everywhere, of course I can just shed my skin when I want because the water is already in the air. I love Arum but he's a disaster.

It all started on a day in the fall, when cool breezes wafted through the trees and the less sturdy plants began to die. Rilla was flitting about to check on all of her herbs, inside and out of her hut while Damien read through a new book of poetry he’d found. Arum, cold-blooded creature that he was, was contentedly curled around him as they sat on the floor, his tail and his head resting in Damien’s lap. It was a very intimate scene, one Arum would not let anyone outside of this cottage see, but Damien certainly enjoyed it.

Arum was practically asleep, but he would twitch occasionally, especially during a gust of wind. Damien still felt fairly warm, even with a lizard seeping his warmth when he could, because he’d at least figured he should sit in a spot by the window that would give them sunlight for a fair amount of time. Hell, Damien had to fight the urge to pet his monstrous lover, but he knew full well Arum would resent that, at least while he was still awake.

Damien noticed something a little odd as he turned a page and moved his attention to some of the scales on Arum’s neck. It looked as if the scales were…flaking off. Well, that couldn’t be healthy… Come to think of it, Arum was normally a much brighter shade than he was now. He seemed so muted, even in the sunlight. How could Damien not have noticed that before? Damien carefully and quietly closed his book to pour all of his attention to Lord Arum’s scales.

There were a few patches where that strange phenomenon was happening, the scales almost…flaking. Damien couldn’t help but be filled with worry. Did Arum know his scales were falling out? What would happen to him if all of his scales fell? Surely, he didn’t have skin under there to protect his organs. Not to mention the fact that Arum’s pride certainly wouldn’t allow him to ever go outside without his scales.

Worried, Damien’s hand carefully moved forward and delicately touches the first patch he saw and a shiver went through his body when he felt it. It didn’t feel…natural, as far as he knew and his heart rate only increased. How would he tell Arum about this? Was he dying? What would he tell Rilla? Oh, Saint Damien above…He prayed for tranquility in order for him to figure out how to deal with this news. Maybe…Lord Arum wasn’t dying. Maybe this was just…because of a wound or a curse Arum was too proud to talk about?

“What has you so worried, honeysuckle?” Arum asked, raising his head to look at Damien in his eyes.

“What? Me? Worried? Why would I be worried?” Damien scoffed and then promptly covered his mouth with his hand to avoid saying something else completely stupid.

Arum placed one of his hands over Damien’s chest and Damien’s already quickly beating heart beat faster.

“I can sense your pulse,” Arum said simply and Damien swallowed thickly.

“You know…” Damien said simply. “Just…the usual…anxiety?”

Arum hummed before slowly standing up and Damien guiltily looked up at him. He felt terrible for lying, but he needed to assess a few more things before he just blurted out to Arum that he was likely dying or he was going to lose all of the scales on his body. In that moment, Rilla decided to walk in, crooning over a sunflower in a pot as she walked in.

“Rilla,” Arum said simply, advancing towards her and Damien scrambled up to his feet. “Is it as easy as I think it is to tell if our knight is lying?”

Without hesitation, Rilla said, “Absolutely. What is he lying about now?”

Timidly, Damien stepped towards the two. Arum glanced back at him and Rilla just looked up at him expectantly.

“Oh…I’m terribly sorry, I must speak my heart,” Damien confessed. His heart ached with shame from those two lies alone, but it ached more for the fate of Lord Arum.

“Go ahead,” Rilla said. She turned to place the sunflower onto the table behind her.

“I’ve lied terribly to you now, Lord Arum,” Damien admitted and Arum just looked at him, unimpressed as ever. “I…I’m not sure if you are aware of this, as it is your body and you must be aware of the comings and goings of your own body but…your…your scales…”

“What about them?” Arum asked bluntly.

“They’re…falling off,” Damien said, quietly, like he was afraid of what Arum would say next.

Rilla sighed, leaning against the table, completely unsurprised by this news and Arum just stared at him.

“Damien,” Rilla said, “tell me, how familiar are you with lizard biology?”

“Um…” Damien thought for a moment. “That’s a…strange question to ask right now, since we should obviously be worried about Arum--”

“Damien, please answer the question,” Rilla said.

“Uhm…Not anything more than Arum has told me himself.”

“Arum, have you told him about molting yet?” Rilla asked.

“I thought that would be obvious,” Arum said to her.

There was a pause. Rilla laughed, walking up to Damien, and patting his shoulder with a small smile on her face.

“I’m afraid you’re far too focused on your poetry,” Rilla said. “Lizards shed their scales every few months in a healthy environment. It’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Oh.” Damien glances between his two lovers anxiously. Of course it was that simple. Of course he had nothing to worry about. That was how it always was, it seemed. It was a massive wave of relief, honestly, to know that it was a natural and common thing. Lord Arm was going to be okay. “My…apologies?”

“Thank you for the worry, honeysuckle,” Arum said, nodding towards him. “But I am completely fine. I normally try to spend this time alone, as I normally get very irritable. It seems this one has…snuck up on me.” His tail twitched about behind him, as if now that he was aware of his scales falling off he felt the need to scrape them off as quickly as possible. “Strange…”

“Can I go back to making sure my materials don’t perish in the coming storm?” Rilla asked and Damien nodded guiltily. Arum walked over to a chair by the table, looking out the window. He didn’t seemed that annoyed with Damien, but that didn’t stop the knight from thinking he’d just embarrassed himself in front of both of the loves of his life.

“Thank you for your concern,” Arum said again and Damien sat down opposite him at the able. Damien couldn’t help but wonder at how Arum always looked when he basked in the sun. His eyes would normally close, but his face always managed to find the light. Sometimes he would let his frills out to let them warm as well and it was a stunning display. When he was lounging, he tended to relax completely when he was particularly warm. Damien could write sonnets about his face in the sun. And he had. Multiple. None of which Arum was allowed to read.

“Sorry for assuming,” Damien said. “You said you normally deal with this alone?”

“It’s not particularly flattering,” Arum said. “It lasts a few days to weeks, depending, and you humans shed your skin in entirely different ways. I assume you wouldn’t want my old scales lying around, nor would you want to see what I do with them.”

“What is it you do with them?” Damien asked, genuinely curious.

“I eat them.”

“Oh.”

A beat of silence.

“That’s…interesting,” Damien said.

“You don’t have to pretend, I’m aware,” Arum said. “They offer nutrients for me, and when I’m at the end of my shedding, more of my natural instincts take over.” Arum adjusted himself a little in the seat. It was a bit like how Arum shifted when in Damien’s lap a bit earlier and Damien leaned forward curiously.

“You were aware of this happening before…” Damien mused.

“I was uncomfortable, but couldn’t figure out why,” Arum huffed. “I’m afraid it just slipped my mind. I should go home soon. I’ve spent too many weeks here anyway.”

“Why leave?” Damien asked. He didn’t want Arum to leave. He never wanted him to leave, honestly. Arum had his lordly duties to attend to, naturally, but Damien always wished that he didn’t have to leave, that they could just live here together, like this. Most monsters didn’t have a normal concept of time, so it was just a matter of waiting until Arum returned. Sometimes it would be just days, sometimes months, and Damien was always anxious until Arum came back to them.

“I prefer to deal with this…alone,” Arum said, twitching again and wincing slightly. “Something tells me this will be a particularly difficult situation.”

“Then stay,” Damien urged. “Let us help you.”

“From your heartrate, you might have thought I was dying just a few minutes ago,” Arum said. “Why do you think you could help me?”

“Tell me what to do,” Damien said. “I’ve been told I obey orders very well.”

“Of course you have. I don’t particularly want you two to see this, honeysuckle. There are some differences between us…biologically. There will be some things you are disgusted by.”

“And what is love if not dealing with all the misgivings of your lover?” Damien supplied.

“You know we don’t mind your company,” Rilla called over to them as she brought in some herbs. Damien thanked the Saints for her help. “We won’t mind if you stay. He might not be able to help you but I would be happy to. I deal with reptiles in my garden all the time. I know a fair bit.”

“You two will be the end of me,” Arum grumbled to himself. “Fine. But if you are offended by what happens, it will not be my fault. I doubt I’ll need much help anyway.”

Damien didn’t say anything in response, knowing Arum’s pride had barely allowed him to stay. He was just happy to have Arum around for just a bit longer. Arum twitched, rubbing his back against the chair with a slight wince. Damien would have to watch over him carefully.

* * *

Arum growled to himself as he paced, twitching uncomfortably as he did so. The moon was high in the night and Damien and Rilla sat in their bed while Arum grumbled. He was in fact very irritable, more likely to snap at them, but just as quick to apologize. Anytime he passed an object, he tried to rub his scales against it, but nothing seemed to work and he was getting angrier and angrier about it. It had been a few days, but there was barely any progress towards the shedding of his scales. Damien had come and gone to do his duties, but it all remained the same back at home.

“I don’t understand,” Arum said. “It’s been a week, I should be much further along than this.” He stretched, but it was strained. From what Damien had learned, he knew that it felt like Arum’s skin was too small for him, constricting him. It was much better if the scales just shed off like they were supposed to. But, for some reason, they weren’t.

“Perhaps,” Damien offered carefully, “you could have us try to see what’s the matter.”

“And what would you do?” Arum snapped, but then regret flashed in his eyes and he turned away.

Damien stood up, unafraid to go near the monster. Sure, Arum was quick to snap, but he would never attack Damien, or Rilla for that matter. Damien kept eye contact with Arum until he stood in front of him. Arum stayed still for the time being, watching him intently. Damien carefully moved his hand towards a patch that looked like it should be falling off, but it hadn’t budged in days. He made sure his touch was light as he moved over the skin. Arum flinched, but Damien kept at it.

Arum was normally dry, but he wasn’t this dry. It looked as though his scales were cracking as they were falling off. He carefully took hold of the flaking bit and pulled it just slightly. It caught, not ready to fall off just yet, and he hissed, so Damien quickly dropped it. Damien looked at it, puzzled. According to Arum, this wasn’t going according to plan at all. More and more of his scales looked as though they were about to fall off, but none of them really did. There were a few shards here and there, which Arum had ripped off in his own discomfort and immediately regretted, but nothing like what a beast Arum’s size should have shed.

“I have an idea,” Rilla said before stepping off the bed and leaving the room. Arum took back to pacing, roughly swishing his tail about in hopes of scraping some skin off. Damien anxiously stood and watched, until Rilla came back, with a wet cloth.

“What is that supposed to do?” Arum scoffed, but he stood still.

“Hush and just relax,” Rilla ordered, stepping behind the lizard and lightly rubbing the cloth on a patch on his back. Arum twitched, but it didn’t seem unpleasant. Rilla messed about back there for a bit and Arum seemed to even relax a bit. “I see…”

“What is it?” Damien asked curiously.

“You normally shed in the swamps, don’t you?” Rilla asked. “That’s where your kind normally live?”

“Yes,” Arum said carefully.

Rilla chuckled. “Well, that explains a lot. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. It’s too dry here for you.” Damien and Arum both looked at her, waiting for more explanation. “Honestly, as a lizard yourself, you would think you would know about this. You just need more water and it should continue as normal.”

“It’s not like a voluntarily spend a lot of time outside of the swamps,” Arum scoffed.

“Until recently,” Damien reminded him. Arum grumbled.

“Let me warm some water,” Rilla said, taking her leave. “And we can make sure this goes smoothly from here on out.”

“I couldn’t ask you to-” but she was gone and Arum had no one he could really protest to.

“Forgive me, Lord Arum, but I must speak my heart,” Damien said.

“If you must.”

“We both care very deeply for you. We won’t do you any harm, I’m sure you know. I know you are not one to be pampered, so don’t view this like that. We just want to help you. You’re so…uncomfortable, I can’t help but be uncomfortable with you. We just want to help, really.”

Damien knew this was a matter of pride and Arum didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him, so Damien chose his words carefully. He wanted Arum to agree to this treatment and not fight them every second of it. Arum seemed to relax slightly, staring at him, but he was still very irritable.

“Do what you must,” Arum said.

“Wonderful,” Rilla said, ducking into the room. “Please, lay on the bed and take off your clothes. I want to make sure we can reach all of your scales.”

Arum bristled slightly, but Damien offered a smile, placing a hand on his top-most shoulder. Rilla ducked back out, probably to watch the fire as she warmed the water, but not past boiling.

“I am certain you two were made to torment me,” Arum said, but obeyed Rilla’s orders regardless. He was stiff as he moved, rubbing against the wall or some furniture uncomfortably as he did so. He awkwardly sat at the edge of the bed and Damien chuckled, stepping closer to him.

“Perhaps we could teach you how to relax, as well, Lord Arum,” Damien said simply. He ducked under Arum’s chin and lightly placed a kiss on a spot he figured wouldn’t be too sensitive or sore. He carefully placed his hands as well as he tried to soothe Arum with light kisses and his own close body heat.

“Getting distracted, boys?” Rilla asked and Damien pulled back with a sheepish smile on his face. Arum did seem a bit more relaxed now, so at least that worked. “On your stomach, Arum, please.” Rilla ducked over to Damien to whisper a quick “thank you” to Damien as she kissed his cheek and went to sit beside Arum, who was now lounging on his stomach on the bed. He was much to tall for it and his tail was on the ground, but he seemed somewhat comfortable.

Rilla had a bowl of water in her hand, steam whisping out of it. She carefully wrung out a cloth before tossing it to Damien.

“Damien, you’re going to be gentle and rub in circles on his back,” Rilla ordered. “Focus on areas where the scales are already coming off, but don’t force anything. We’ll figure out a better way to do this later, Arum, I promise”

“Do what you want,” Arum said carefully.

Damien softly dabbed at the lower part of Arum’s back before he was certain he wouldn’t hurt him and then pressed a little harder. Rilla also set to work on his upper back and, in no time, Arum was relaxing under their touch. The water was still very warm, which he no doubt enjoyed, and his tail was starting to move as he let out a small hum he probably wasn’t aware of.

After a while, Damien noticed that a patch of scales seemed very, very close to falling off, and it was already wet, so he experimentally pulled at it. With no resistance, a chunk of scales came off in his hand and Arum let out a very long sigh of relief, relaxing further. The new scales underneath shone, bright and colorful as Arum normally was. Damien blinked, looking at the object in his hand, unsure of what to do with it. He eventually settled with setting it on the bed before going to rewet the cloth and keep it warm. Rilla had also managed to take off a few bits of scales herself as they worked.

In no time, they’d managed to get a few pieces off and Arum had actually fallen asleep in his comfort. Damien chuckled when he noticed and pointed to him when Rilla looked at him.

“I swear, the both of you are ridiculous,” Rilla said simply, placing the cloth back into the bin and taking Damien’s with it. “I’m glad we recently bought a larger bed or you would be sleeping on the floor.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Damien said, following after her closely back to the main room. “If it’s for your comfort.”

“Then it’s a good thing we bought something specifically for our lizard in mind,” Rilla said. She set the supplies down before turning back to him. “Speaking of, we agreed to take care of him, and yet you left him alone, wet, and naked on our bed.”

“I just wanted a chance to thank you,” Damien said, kissing her softly on the lips. “Without you, I’m afraid we’d both be lost.”

“I know,” Rilla said with a smirk. “But I like having a chance to take care of you two. Saints know you both love to find yourselves into trouble. Now, let’s get back to Arum before he wakes up and starts whining again.”

* * *

It was a warm day, a rare day off for a certain knight of the crown, and Damien was more than happy to be put to work by Rilla, who needed help with the soil. He enjoyed it when she roped him into manual labor for her garden. He loved being of service to her. Unlike most damsels, she never really found herself in a moment of distress and so Damien’s knightly skills weren’t of much use to woo her or be of service. So he almost always complied with her demands so he could at least try.

Rilla was busying herself with planting a few seeds of new herbs which were very tough and would survive the colder weather. And Arum was nearby. They’d found an old wash bin, cleaned it out, and filled it with warm water, which they changed out periodically. It was fairly large, but Arum still had to curl around for his whole body to be submerged. On days like this, he didn’t mind, as they moved it into the sun and he laid his head on the edge of the bin. His eyes were closed, and he looked content, which was always a good sign.

It had been a week since they started helping Arum, who wouldn’t admit he was enjoying the treatment, but definitely was. Luckily, the shedding was going a bit faster now, especially when they helped rub at his scales. As Damien was warned, any of the shed scales that they left about the cottage would eventually disappear and Damien asked no questions, not wanting to know the answer. By now, a lot of the patches of scales were gone and only a few remained, which they were patiently waiting out. Arum was far less irritable now and after an anxiety filled dinner (on Damien’s part) explained that he wasn’t all that hungry for food anymore. He hadn’t eaten in several days, but assured them not to worry.

“This is quite a view, honeysuckle,” Arum called out behind him and Damien glanced back. Admittedly, he hadn’t thought much about that, but now that he noticed, he was kneeling on the ground, his shirt long since discarded due to sweat, with his hands covered in dirt. Arum continued. “You are stronger than you look with all that armor cluttering over you.”

“Lord Arum, are you…flirting with me?” Damien asked with a smile.

“Of course not,” Arum said, puffing up his frill before ducking his head back into the bin. “I was simply stating the obvious.”

Damien continued to smile to himself as he worked. Something he was learning through this experience was that, when Arum had reached a very blissed out stage of comfort, he said what he thought, his pride almost completely forgotten until he was reminded. And Damien would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy seeing Lord Arum flustered.

Damien finished up the section he was working on before he stood up to stretch. He walked over to the bin, kneeling beside it. Arum just glanced at him.

“Thank you for your compliments,” Damien said, placing a quick kiss to the top of Arum’s head. It was pleasantly warm, and Arum, despite himself, pressed up against him. Damien smiled, placing a hand on his head as well. “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself.”

“Admittedly…” Arum hesitated, “you two aren’t bad at helping.”

“Does this mean you’ll be willing to stay here every time you need to shed your skin?”

“Perhaps,” Arum said. “Don’t be too proud about it.”

“Am I allowed some pride?” Rilla asked, advancing on the bin as well. She had that sweet smile on her face, perfectly relaxed. Damien hoped that meant they could retire early and just lay in bed together, all three of them. As much as he enjoyed being of help, he loved just being able to exist with his lovers more. The feeling of lying in bed with no real commitments for the rest of the day was so relaxing. He craved it on days like this.

“I can’t stop you from feeling pride,” Arum said, shifting slightly in the water. Some clumps of scales floated in the water and Damien thought he should have been disgusted by it, but he’d seen so much of it at this point, and worse from Arum honestly, that he couldn’t bring himself to care. Just one of the hazards of romancing a monster.

“Considering it was mostly my expertise,” Rilla said. “I believe I do deserve some pride. I still can’t believe you didn’t know you needed an environment like this.”

“I figured I would be fine without it,” Arum protested.

“My two useless boys,” Rilla said, rubbing at both their heads. Damien chuckled as his hair mussed up and Arum simply looked up at her. She smirked and then let out a small laugh. “I think that’s enough work for today. Would you two like to join me inside?”

Damien and Arum only hesitated for a moment before getting up and following Rilla inside. Lazy days were perfect, even when one of your partners was shedding scales with every movement of his tail.


End file.
